Greek Chicken Gyro – Homemade Recipe
Love the gyros from your favorite Greek restaurant? You can make your chicken gyros at home with this simple and healthy recipe!
First, marinate chicken tenders in yogurt and tasty spices. You can cook the chicken in a skillet, on a grill, or even bake it in the oven.
Next, stuff a pita wrap with the cooked chicken. Then, add some homemade tzatziki sauce. Top it off with your favorite extras like tomatoes, onions, or lettuce.
Follow the easy steps below and check out these helpful tips to whip up this yummy dish! If you enjoy exploring different recipes, you might also like trying out Albanian Cornbread, Tave Kosi, or Albanian Flija to add variety to your meals. Enjoy your homemade gyro!
What Is Chicken Gyros?
Chicken gyros is a popular Greek dish consisting of chicken that has been marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and traditional Greek spices such as oregano, thyme, and sometimes paprika or cumin.
What Is Chicken Gyros Made Of?
Chicken gyro is made from:
- Chicken: Usually thighs or breasts, marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and spices like oregano and thyme.
- Cooking: Traditionally cooked on a rotisserie, but can also be grilled or pan-fried.
- Bread: Served in a pita.
- Toppings: Includes tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and sometimes other vegetables.
- Sauce: Typically tzatziki, a cucumber yogurt sauce with garlic and herbs.
How Can You Make Homemade Gyros?
Making homemade gyros is a fun and flavorful project! Here’s a simple way to prepare chicken gyros:
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Add the chicken and ensure it’s well-coated with the marinade.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best results.
Prepare the Tzatziki Sauce:
Mix the Greek yogurt, grated and drained cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and dill in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chill in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.
Cook the Chicken:
Heat a grill or skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the marinated chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side.
Assemble the Gyros:
Warm the pita bread on the grill or in a dry skillet for a few seconds on each side.
Place some chicken on each pita, followed by tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
Roll up the pita around the fillings, and serve immediately.
How To Prepare Homemade Tzatziki Sauce?
Here’s a quick recipe to make homemade tzatziki sauce:
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the Cucumber: Squeeze out excess water from the grated cucumber to avoid a watery sauce.
- Combine Ingredients: In a bowl, mix the cucumber, Greek yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Season: Add salt and pepper, and adjust to taste.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least an hour to blend the flavors.
- Serve: Use your tzatziki as a dip or with gyros.
This tzatziki is creamy, tangy, and perfect for adding a fresh touch to your meals!
Are Greek Chicken Gyros Healthy?
Yes, Greek chicken gyros can be a healthy meal option, particularly when made at home where you can control the ingredients and portion sizes. Here are a few reasons why they can be good for you:
- Lean Protein: Chicken, especially the breast, is a great source of lean protein which is important for muscle repair and growth.
- Fresh Vegetables: Gyros are typically served with a variety of fresh vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. These add important vitamins, minerals, and fiber to your meal.
- Healthy Fats: The olive oil used in the marinade and tzatziki sauce provides healthy monounsaturated fats. These fats are beneficial for heart health.
- Portion Control: When you make gyros at home, you can manage the portion sizes better, ensuring that you are not consuming excessive calories.
- Low-Calorie Sauce: Tzatziki sauce is made with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, and herbs, which are low in calories and can be a healthier alternative to other creamy or mayonnaise-based sauces.
What’s The Difference Between Chicken Gyro and Souvlaki?
Chicken gyro and chicken souvlaki are both tasty Greek dishes that use seasoned chicken, but they are prepared differently.
Chicken gyro is cooked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced into thin pieces, while chicken souvlaki involves marinating chunks of chicken and grilling them on skewers.
When it comes to serving, gyro meat is usually wrapped in pita bread with toppings like tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. Souvlaki can be eaten straight from the skewer or served on pita bread with similar toppings.
How do You Serve Gyros?
To serve gyros, first, warm up the pita bread to make it soft. Then, add slices of cooked meat like chicken or lamb in the middle of the pita.
Top it with fresh vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. Drizzle some creamy tzatziki sauce made from yogurt and cucumber over everything.
Fold the pita around the fillings to wrap it up, and you’re ready to enjoy! You can also serve gyros with sides like French fries or a Greek salad.
Greek Chicken Gyro Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4-6 pita breads
- Toppings: Sliced onions tomatoes, and lettuce
- Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded, and grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken:
- In a bowl, mix the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and ensure it’s fully coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably a few hours in the fridge.
- Prepare the Tzatziki Sauce:
- Combine the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, and dill in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
- Cook the Chicken:
- Heat a grill or skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Assemble the Gyros:
- Warm the pita breads on the grill or in a dry skillet. Slice the cooked chicken into strips.
- Spread tzatziki sauce on each pita, add chicken, and top with onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Roll up the pita around the fillings.
2 thoughts on “Greek Chicken Gyro – Homemade Recipe”
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I’m sure it’s delicious, but… This isn’t gyro. Gyro doesn’t mean “meat served in a pita”. To be gyro, the meat needs to be cooked on a rotating spit (hence the “gyro”, which is Greek for “rotate” – think “gyrocopter” and “gyroscope” etc), and is usually shaved off.
Gyro can be served on its own, or when served in a pita bread with other fillings would be referred to as “gyro pita”. Similarly, you can also have souvlaki pita which this is a bit closer to – though as your recipe doesn’t mention skewering the meat it still isn’t quite that.
I don’t mean to be mean, so please take this as a friendly nudge in the right direction. I’m just annoyed that people are constantly trying to change the definition of this Greek dish!
Thanks Chris for this helpful comment:)